Golden confirms Ray-Ray Armstrong suspended for FSU game

Safety Ray-Ray Armstrong will not play in Saturday’s game against Florida State for what UM coach Al Golden deemed "a violation of team rules" on his weekly radio segment on WQAM's Hurricane Hotline Wednesday night.

"We're still trying to learn about the circumstance with Ray-Ray, but he's been suspended for violating team rules," Golden said. "That's the extent of it right now. We're trying to learn more about it. It's as simple as that. It's a violation of team policy -- what we term conduct detrimental. He won't be with us and we'll reevaluate when we come back from Tallahassee."

The Associated Press reported late Wednesday night that school officials are checking to see if Armstrong broke NCAA rules by having dinner with someone who owns a public relations firm that works with professional athletes. UM confirmed in a statement Armstrong didn't practice all week and hasn't been involved in team activities.

On Sunday, Ari Washington, the president of Double Coverage PR Group, used her twitter account to state she was having dinner at Prime 112 with Armstrong. Armstrong did as well, tweeting from his account boom_king26: "Just left Prime 112 wit @arinicolelife never seen a chicken this big." Armstrong followed it up with a picture.

With the NCAA investigating UM, the Hurricanes have been informed to be extra careful. This obviously was one of those instances where Armstrong wasn't.

Armstrong was suspended for the first four games of the season and asked to repay $788 due to his involvement with former booster Nevin Shapiro. Albert Armstrong, Armstrong's father, said Wednesday evening he hadn't heard anything yet about his son being suspended and was expecting him to play at Florida State.

Armstrong’s eligibility for the rest of the season remains unclear, but there is a possibility he will miss more than just Saturday’s game.

Armstrong has recorded 25 tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery in five games. He was a preseason all-ACC pick. Senior JoJo Nicolas, who started and played cornerback against Duke, will move back to safety alongside Vaughn Telemaque with Armstrong out.